Nursery Tour: Haley's Red Delight

You may remember Kim's room, from the charming clothes rack featured here last spring. A lot has changed in the nursery since then. What we love about this room are the traditional elements that are contrasted with the bright wall color and lovely handmade items throughout. The color of the wall (Valspar's Passion Pink) is definitely an unexpected pairing, next to the crocheted and vintage items.

"We got very lucky with the furniture, everything aside from her desk was something we already owned or something that was handed down and needed a fresh coat of paint, so there was not much belly-aching over that aspect of her room. Aside from that, all I knew was that I wanted something warm, cheery, and stimulating and a room that could grow-up with her... the perfect place to lay her head down after a day of collecting bumps and bruises. A room that captured youth in a bottle: sunshine, love, plenty of imagination and happy, cradling colors."

There are so many striking items in Haley's room, but the one item we had to know ALL about was her granny square throw. Was it an heirloom? Was it Baby Kim's?Of it, Kim tells us it was an Etsy find and she knew it, "....was a sure fit as soon as I saw its pillows that look much like the letter H."

And like all of our favorite tours, many of the items in Haley's room were handmade or repurposed. Kim refurbished the clothes drying rack into a quilt rack/closet, she gussied up the bookcase -- which was hers from college -- by painting it white and adding Heather Bailey Freshcut fabric.

Kim also made the cork board on Haley's dresser as well as sew the bed skirt and embellished and hung the letters hanging on the wall. "It is so much cheaper to do it that way rather than buying the prefab letters from Pottery Barn or Anthropologie," she adds.

Finally, we asked Kim for any advice on how to approach the nursery design process. This is what she had to say:

"Chose and invest in items that are timeless and that you really love -- those that can be used again when you have another child, that can grow up with your child, and/or can be passed down to your grandchildren. I think there's nothing more special than sleeping under a blanket that your great granny had slept under or being able to say 'My mommy made this for me.' Add personal touches where you can and don't be afraid of color. Take ordinary pieces and make them pop with a funky coat of acrylic paint (i.e., Haley's pastel pink bench and her lime green mirror.) Do not be afraid to mix and match wood tones. Too much white can look sterile and too much wood can make things seem too dark. Kids are vibrant and full of good ideas and energy... make them a space that is inspiring and fun and captures their essence. At the end of the day, if it's a room you would've liked to dream in as a kid, you did it right!"